Esmée Fairbairn Foundation grants
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation funds constituted UK organisations with a turnover of at least £100,000. Its minimum grant is £30,000, with no maximum, and applications are rolling.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation sets a minimum grant of £30,000 and has no maximum amount. The first thing to know is that it does not fund organisations with a turnover of less than £100,000, as reflected in the latest set of accounts. It also does not fund organisations that are not constituted. Around two thirds of its active grants are for core costs, or are unrestricted. Unless specified otherwise, it accepts applications on a rolling basis with no deadlines. It does not fund grants to individuals, capital costs including building work, renovations and equipment, the promotion of religion, or healthcare. It defines healthcare here as clinical, counselling, hospices, therapy, addiction services or medical research. It also runs Funding Plus, which provides up to £8,000 of capacity-building support for organisations it funds.
What they fund
These are the purposes recorded for Esmée Fairbairn Foundation on the Charity Commission register. Its own exclusions are important too, so read them alongside these.
Who and where
The register records that it works across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Its own guidance says it does not fund work that lacks a direct benefit in the UK.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Esmée Fairbairn Foundation says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
What they say they're looking for
“Around two thirds of our active grants are for core costs, or are unrestricted.”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Grants | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
What they say they won't fund
“Capital costs including building work, renovations and equipment”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
“Work that is not legally charitable – defined as work that falls within one of 13 descriptions of charitable purposes and is for the public benefit”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
“Organisations that are not constituted”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
“Grants to individuals”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
“Work that does not have a direct benefit in the UK”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
“Healthcare: clinical, counselling, hospices, therapy, addiction services, or medical research”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
“Organisations with a turnover of less than £100,000 (as reflected in the latest set of accounts)”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
“Promotion of religion”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
Grant sizes they mention
“the minimum amount we offer is £30,000 and we have no maximum amount”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
Deadlines they mention
“Unless specified otherwise, we accept applications on a rolling basis with no deadlines.”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Apply for a grant | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
How they say to apply
“Funding Plus provides up to £8,000 of capacity-building support for organisations we fund.”
Source: esmeefairbairn.org.uk — Funding Plus | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
To further such charitable purpose or purposes as the trustees in their absolute discretion shall think fit.
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does Esmée Fairbairn Foundation give?
The minimum amount it offers is £30,000 and it has no maximum amount. Around two thirds of its active grants are for core costs, or are unrestricted. Separately, its Funding Plus offer provides up to £8,000 of capacity-building support for organisations it funds. We do not have a typical (median) award figure for this funder. Its most recent Charity Commission return records £48,692,000 in grants to organisations.
What does Esmée Fairbairn Foundation fund?
Its objects are to further such charitable purpose or purposes as the trustees in their absolute discretion shall think fit. Its Charity Commission entry records arts, culture, heritage and science, the prevention or relief of poverty, community development and employment, accommodation and housing, human rights, equality and diversity, education and training, environment and conservation, and disability.
Who can apply?
This is an important one for small charities. It does not fund organisations with a turnover of less than £100,000, as reflected in the latest set of accounts, and does not fund organisations that are not constituted. It also does not fund work that lacks a direct benefit in the UK, or work that is not legally charitable, which it defines as work falling within one of 13 descriptions of charitable purposes and for the public benefit.
What won't Esmée Fairbairn Foundation fund?
It does not fund grants to individuals, capital costs including building work, renovations and equipment, the promotion of religion, or healthcare. It lists healthcare as clinical, counselling, hospices, therapy, addiction services or medical research. It also does not fund organisations with a turnover of less than £100,000, organisations that are not constituted, work without a direct benefit in the UK, or work that is not legally charitable.
How do I apply?
Unless specified otherwise, it accepts applications on a rolling basis with no deadlines. Check the funder's own website (www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 200051) for current guidance, as processes can change.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.